Wednesday, July 20, 2016

The Men’s Room Barbershop Gets a Rude Awakening

Omar Ramos, owner of the Men’s Room Barbershop (2523 N. Campbell Ave.) had just started his first haircut of the day on Tuesday, July 12, when he was abruptly interrupted by a car crashing through the front of his shop.

“I had heard the screeching of brakes so I went to the window to check it out,” Ramos said. “I saw the car coming towards us, so I yelled 'everyone move!' I’m glad my customer listened and everyone else listened and got out of the way.”

No one was injured in the accident. Ramos says the driver failed a sobriety test and was taken away by police.

The shop was closed for a couple of days but, despite what people may think when driving by, has reopened.

“It just looks like we’re shut down forever, but we’re up and running,” Ramos said, referencing the plywood that now covers the front of his business.

Ramos was initially worried that he would lose a lot of business from the ordeal, but was surprised by the loyalty of his customers. “When this happened we had a lot of customers come by asking if we’re open. I felt bad because I didn’t know when we’d be open again so I couldn’t tell them a couple days, or a week, I just didn’t know. Lucky for us they all came back when we opened back up. I love my customers.”

A testament to the true community vibe of the Men’s Room was the response from the customer who was getting his hair cut at the time of the accident.

“At the end of it, after the police had come, he came up to me and gave me a hug. That hug felt good. My mind was everywhere, insurance, the cops, the shop, and he just came up to me and said 'give me a hug, Omar.' That’s the thing I won’t forget is that hug, I needed it and it touched me at the right time.”

Ramos gained ownership of the shop two and a half years ago, when he bought it from his aunt. When speaking on the success of his business Ramos said “A simple greeting goes a long way—teamwork, too, goes along way, we’re all on the same page, which I think gives us a good flow, and people notice that.The Men’s Room Barbershop is currently a finalist for the Best Barber Shop in Tucson Weekly's Best of Tucson competition.